Austria
These Budapest flight tickets just got a lot cheaper
Hungarians living in the northwestern part of the country are in an exquisite situation when it comes to travel by flight. They can choose between three international airports which are all in the travel range of just 2-3 hours maximum. These are Schwechat Airport in Vienna, M. R. Štefánik Airport Bratislava and Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport.
Last month the journalists at Pénzcentrum cross-referenced the prices of flights between Vienna and Budapest airports. They found that in many cases, choosing the Austrian counterpart is a cheaper solution. This time they did the same comparison of costs of air trips between Bratislava and Budapest airports. Throughout their research, they compared the prices of retour flights to 100 different destinations in the month of July 2023, with usually a week passing between the two trips with the help of Skyscanner.
They not only received the answers to their original question but also discovered something surprising. The prices of several flights departing from Liszt Ferenc International have actually dropped throughout the month, Pénzcentrum reports.
Cheaper than Bratislava
Unlike in Vienna, the flights departing from the Slovak capital tended to be more expensive than the ones leaving from Budapest. In 70-80 percent of cases examined, departing from Hungary was a more economical choice. However, there were some exceptions. For example, the tickets to cities such as Zagreb (Croatia), Dusseldorf (Germany), and Rotterdam (Netherlands) were considerably cheaper from Bratislava.
Other destinations, however, including Athens (Greece), Nice (France), and Burgas (Bulgaria) cost a lot more. One explanation could be the fact that Bratislava airport is way smaller than its Austrian and Hungarian counterparts. It only has one terminal, unlike Schwechat (3) or Liszt Ferenc (2). Even though it is the largest airport in Slovakia, it comes nowhere close to its competitors in the region. In 2022, Vienna Airport had 23.7 million passengers, Budapest Airport was visited by 12.2 million people, while Bratislava Airport was only used by 1.4 million travellers.
Reduced flight prices at Budapest Airport
In the one month that passed between the making of the two comparison statistics, the researchers noticed something odd. The prices of many of the flights they examined departing from Budapest had dropped, in some cases exponentially. For example, the cost of a flight to Catania (Italy) decreased by 80 euros, while the one to Reus (Spain) saw a reduction of 100 euros. Other destinations worth mentioning include Rhodes (Greece, EUR -60), Palermo (Italy, EUR -40) and Varna (Bulgaria, EUR -40).
This further debunks the theory that the sooner one buys their passes, the cheaper it is. The dynamic pricing of flight tickets is based on a supply-demand scale, which means that in certain situations, you can find tickets for pennies just a few days before departure.
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Attention motorists: Slovakia temporarily reintroduces border controls at the Slovak-Hungarian border
Slovakia will soon temporarily reintroduce border controls on the Czech, Polish, Hungarian and Austrian borders.
Acting Interior Minister Roman Mikulec said on Wednesday morning that Slovakia will soon temporarily reintroduce border controls on the Czech, Polish, Hungarian and Austrian borders, following a government decision, Ma7 reports.
The decision will be in force from 24 May to 8 June.
During this period, temporary controls can be expected not only at border crossings but also at all airports in the country.
The move, which had already been approved by the government, was necessary to ensure the safety and security of participants at the upcoming international security conference Globsec in Bratislava.
“Important politicians and other public figures from Europe and other parts of the world will attend the conference. Our priority is to ensure that the appropriate security arrangements are in place. This is only a temporary arrangement,” said Mr Mikulec.
Attention: Austria to further control the Hungarian border
Austria plans to extend controls on the Hungarian-Austrian and the Slovenian-Austrian border for another six months from 11 May, Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner told ORF.
Austria will present the request to extend border controls to the European Commission in the coming days, Index reports. The minister added that the further suspension of the Schengen free movement rules is necessary to fight illegal immigration.
Austria last extended the temporary reintroduction of border controls at the Schengen internal border for another six months in October last year. Last year, Karner said, “migration pressures were unbelievable”, which is why the controls needed to continue.
The effectiveness of the measure is demonstrated by the significant decrease in the number of asylum seekers in Austria. While 12,000 people applied for asylum in the country in November last year, in February this year, only 2,600 had applied, he added.
“As long as the protection of the external borders of the European Union is not in place, the cost of millions of euros in controls for the security of the Austrian population will have to be borne,” the minister said.
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After a huge price drop, flights from Budapest to European cities are extremely cheap
Travel enthusiasts are now enjoying the best airfares. You can fly from Budapest to major European cities at a bargain price, even before the high season. It’s worth taking advantage of.
Okosutas pointed out that at Wizz Air, ticket prices collapsed in a few days and then rose several times. According to the travel portal, for several European destinations, such as Berin, Malmo, London or Stockholm, “starting from 25-35 thousand forints (EUR 65-92), the price dropped in two steps in three days to well under 10 thousand forints.”
It’s worth travelling now, before the peak season starts, as it’s much cheaper to travel abroad than in the summer.
If you look at Wizz Air’s booking platform now, it is still very cheap to go to Sweden, for example, in May and June, napi.hu said. As the screenshot shows, the cost of a trip to the Swedish capital is roughly the price of a family pizza. However, this doesn’t include any extra packages or selected seats. If you seek more comfort when travelling, the discounted price will be much higher.
Also looking at May, Berlin is more expensive, with similar parameters and a May departure, you can get there for just under HUF 10,000 (EUR 26) to see the Berlin Wall or take a selfie in front of the Brandenburg Gate. True, with a Wizz club card it’s also much cheaper, under 6,000 forints (EUR 16), and 10 thousand forints to get back to the German capital.
How about Ryanair?
For comparison, Ryanair will take you to Stockholm in May for HUF 32,000 (EUR 84) with a small carry-on bag without seat selection, and to Berlin for just under 9,000 forints (EUR 24).
Useful tip
After the introduction of the extra profit tax, airlines have included the costs in the ticket prices for flights from Hungary. But this has worked out very well for Vienna Airport, as Austria does not tax airlines, so you can buy a ticket for a quarter of the price of a ticket to Budapest.
As we wrote on Sunday, a new airline has been launched with very cheap prices to Budapest, read details HERE.
- Read also: Hungarian police stormed EasyJet plane after emergency landing – VIDEO
Austria closed busy border crossings from Hungary: ministry wants urgent talks
The Austrian local governments closed two busy border crossings between Austria and Hungary. The Hungarian mayor of Sopron called the act unfriendly and discriminative, which harms the community law. The foreign ministry wants urgent talks with the Austrians.
Border crossings to Austria closed
According to Magyar Nemzet, Sopron’s mayor, Ciprián Farkas, said that the Austrians closed the border crossing between Ágfalva (Hungary) and Somfalva (Austria) and another near Szentmargitbánya (St. Margarethen). Therefore, he would like to start talks about connecting the Austrian A3 motorway and the Hungarian M85 high-speed road to reduce traffic at that border crossing. As a result, the border crossing might reopen for the Hungarians driving to work in Austria each day.
A meeting on the issue might take place in April, Magyar Nemzet wrote. The mayor of Sopron (Fidesz) is hopeful they could reach a kind of compromise. However, he does not believe that the Austrians would ever reestablish the operation of the Ágfalva-Somfalva border crossing like it was before.
According to Mr Farkas, the Austrians would not like to build the road connection, while the Hungarian government is committed to finishing the job by the end of 2024. He added that the Austrian authorities did not share their intentions to close the border crossing with their Hungarian counterparts. He also learned about the measure from social media. He believes that the act harms the freedom of movement in the European Union. Besides, they completed the renewal of two roads leading to the border crossing from EU funds. The money aimed to facilitate the free movement of people between the countries.
The mayor of Sopron highlighted that 10-15 thousand Hungarians are affected who used the crossing every day since they work in Austria but live in Hungary. Getting to Austria from that region is difficult now, and there are long queues at other border crossings. That is because the local government of Szentmargitbánya (St. Margarethen) banned all vehicles from the road leading to Hungary. The only exceptions are cars owned by citizens of the nearby villages.
Farkas talked about the issue in an interview:
Anti-Hungarian atmosphere in Austria?
Mr Farkas said in a letter he wrote to Thomas Hoffmann, the mayor of Somfalva, that politicians generate an anti-Hungarian atmosphere in Austria even though the talented and hard-working Hungarians strengthen the Austrian economy with their work. He asked his counterpart to take measures against unknown locals, who caused minor damages to the Hungarian cars. Mr Hoffmann said in his reply that such allegations are absurd. Local police denied that vandals damaged cars with Hungarian license plates. We wrote about this problem in detail HERE.
Here is the letter:
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Caution: Hungarian commuters’ cars vandalised in Austrian car parks
There is a serious conflict emerging at the Austrian-Hungarian border crossing. The mayor of Somfalva (Schattendorf) has closed the road to the Hungarian border. He cited the risk of accidents by motorists as the main reason. Commuters do not want to drive extra kilometres, so they leave their cars in the car park at the border. However, more and more people are reporting damage to their cars.
Hungarian motorists have reported damage to cars left in car parks in Somfalva (Schattendorf). The cars are stripped of their branding, grilles or number plates, reports Index. Új Szó Nálunk wrote that a single incident would not imply intentionality. However, three people reported such damage to the newspaper alone.
Conflict with the Austrian village
As we wrote, the mayor of Somfalva said in January that he would close the road to the Hungarian border. According to the mayor of the Austrian village, commuters from the Hungarian village of Ágfalva are causing a lot of accidents.
In recent years, the border crossing between the Hungarian Ágfalva and the Austrian Schattendorf has become an important commuter route. However, the increased traffic has also led to more accidents. Thus, the mayor of the Austrian municipality has introduced restrictions.
The mayor of Schattendorf had previously wanted to install a barrier at the Austro-Hungarian border. He also wanted a camera to read the number plates and the barrier to open only when an authorised vehicle arrived at the border.
Cars parked in Schattendorf’s car parks
Currently, the road linking Schattendorf with Sopron and Ágfalva is closed during the commuting season. This means that crossing the border is prohibited between 5 AM and 8 AM on weekdays and between 4 PM and 7 PM in the afternoon. This rule applies only to motorists, so some people leave their cars on one side of the border, walk across, and then get into another car on the other side.
Right now, these cars parked in Schattendorf are a nuisance to many people.
Featured image: illustration
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Hungarian children are being taken to Austria
Hungarian education is increasingly being dropped by parents. More and more people send their children to school in Austria.
Hungarian children taken to Austrian schools
Last year alone, 1367 new Hungarian students were enrolled in Austrian institutions. Their numbers are growing at such a pace that in a few years, Hungarians could be the largest minority in Austria.
Not only are more and more people moving to Austria to work, but the number of Hungarian students studying there is also growing steadily. In the 2010/2011 school year, only 2,117 Hungarian students were enrolled in Austrian public education, but by the 2021/2022 school year, the number will have risen to 10,646, G7 reports.
Number of Hungarian students in Austria increased the most
While in Austria, the number of Hungarian students in primary and secondary education increased, in Hungary, it decreased by 14 percent. The overall number of foreign students in Austrian schools has also grown rapidly over the past 15 years. It went from 9 percent in 2006/07 to 17 percent in the latest year.
However, of the 20 countries measured, the number of Hungarian children in Austrian schools has increased the most in the last decade and a half, rising eightfold.
The G7 article concludes that one in every 100 Hungarian children now goes to school in Austria.
Read alsoThe Hungarian government would further extend the state of emergency
Eurostat: Budapest’s living standards overtake Vienna’s
According to recent Eurostat figures, the Hungarian capital is ahead of the Austrian one in terms of living standards. However, Warsaw is ahead of us when it comes to the quality of life of citizens.
New Eurostat data released on living standards
Every year, Eurostat, a Directorate-General of the European Commission, publishes detailed economic data to compare living standards in different EU regions. The latest figures, showing the second year of COVID, 2021, have just been released, novekedes.hu reports.
Budapest has a huge dominance in the Hungarian economy. The situation in this respect has remained unchanged for almost a hundred years, novekedes.hu writes. The gap between the capital and the countryside is widening. This is regularly reflected in Eurostat’s annual reports.
Eurostat also converts GDP data into a fictitious currency called PPS (Purchasing Power Standard). This is necessary because there are often large price differences between countries. Novekedes.hu mentions the differences between a McDonald’s menu or a brake change in Germany and in Bulgaria.
Budapest is ahead of Vienna, Berlin and Madrid
In terms of PPS, Budapest has been ahead of cities like Vienna, Berlin and Madrid for years now. We are not the only ones doing so well. Cities in Central and Eastern Europe are also performing quite nicely. So much so that Prague is at the top of the rankings, not far behind Luxembourg, Brussels and Dublin. In our region, economies are typically capital-centric. Rural regions are generally disconnected. In contrast, people in Germany, for example, live above the EU average in almost all regions.
Rural figures are worse
A new improvement compared to last year is that Budapest has now overtaken Bratislava. The rural figures are less flattering for our country though. Although some rural regions are now less behind the EU average than a year earlier, the gap is still wide. At EU level, the negative top list is dominated mainly by the Bulgarian regions, novekedes.hu concludes.
Read alsoNew flight opened: London comes closer to Hungary
Orbán criticises Brussels together with the president of the Austrian Freedom Party
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán discussed the war in Ukraine, related sanctions, inflation and illegal migration with Herbert Kickl, head of Austria’s Freedom Party (FPO), in Budapest on Thursday, Orbán’s press chief said.
Orbán and Kickl were in agreement about the risk of the escalation of the war and the need to call for an immediate ceasefire and peace talks at all possible forums, Bertalan Havasi said.
They also were in agreement that as a result of sanctions imposed by Brussels prices have increased at an unprecedented rate in Europe and concluded that once peace is restored, sanctions could be lifted and prices would go down.
Orbán and Kickl welcomed cooperation between their countries in the fight against illegal migration. They said the European Commission must be called on to take effective measures for the protection of the EU’s external borders and contribute to the costs of fences erected by member states.
- Read also: Hungarian minister: Get ready for a prolonged war, gas power plants to be built in Hungary
Szijjártó: Cooperation with Baden-Wuerttemberg crucial for Hungary-Germany ties
“Excellent cooperation with Baden-Wuerttemberg is an important basis for the ties between Hungary and Germany,” the minister of foreign affairs and trade said in Stuttgart on Thursday.
The foreign ministry quoted Péter Szijjártó as saying that those ties “highly contribute to keeping the Hungarian economy on a growth path”. Szijjártó said bilateral relations with Germany “are currently not simple”, but added that Baden-Wuerttemberg “has a special place in our heart” with special regard to such investments projects as implemented by Germany’s Bosch and Mercedes-Benz companies.
“They have helped us save jobs in Hungary, keep the economy on a growth path and avoid recession,” he said. Baden-Wuerttemberg is also the primary destination of Hungarian exports to Germany, the minister added.
Szijjártó called Baden-Wuerttemberg’s Christian Democrats “good friends with whom we see eye to eye in many respects”. “We agree that the external borders of the European Union must be firmly and successfully protected, we agree that Europe’s security must be maintained and … measures reducing Europe’s competitiveness must not be taken,” he said. Europe must again be made a dominant continent in the global economy, he added.
During his visit to Stuttgart, Szijjártó met the justice minister of Baden-Wuerttemberg, the local group leader of the Christian Democratic Union, as well as the chief advisor to the province’s minister-president and a board member of Mercedes-Benz.
Read alsoOrbán: No telling what will happen to Russian-Hungarian relations, Europe is being redesigned
Hungary turns to Burgenland governor over Austria-Hungary border traffic constrictions
Hungary-Austria border traffic on the Burgenland side has become constricted at several crossing points, Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister, said on Monday, noting that he has talked to Burgenland governor Hans Peter Doskozil by phone with a view to lifting the constrictions so that locals can continue to enjoy normal living conditions.
In a social media post said the governor was a “constructive and fair person”, and he had not been disappointed in the progress of their talks.
Professional discussions will get under way and a proposal will be prepared on how to ensure free-flowing traffic at the border.
The mayor of Sopron, Farkas Cipirian (Fidesz-KDNP), turned to Szijjártó after the mayor of Schattendorf in Austria indicated that traffic at the road crossing between Ágfalva and Schattendorf would serve as a footpath but for exceptional cases. Also, the Austrian side wants to limit traffic at the Sopronkőhida-Sankt Margarethen crossing.
The two crossings ensure that Hungarians working in Austria can reach their workplaces. Cipirian said the measures violated basic freedoms of the European Union, namely the right to free movement and employment.
As we wrote in December, Austrian Vice-Chancellor Werner Kogler said Hungary should be kicked out of Schengen, following the logic of the Austrian Interior Minister. According to Kogler, most unregistered crossings into Austria come from Hungary, read details HERE.
Details of the tragedy in Austria: the car of three Hungarian workers crashed into a bus
The two young women, Ramóna and Nikolett, died instantly, Dániel was taken to the hospital but his life could not be saved.
The small black Volkswagen was drifting out of control on the narrow road, so the driver turned the steering wheel and applied the brakes in vain, Blikk said. The bus, which was coming from the opposite lane, collided with the car on the B164 road under Salzburg.
When the Austrian fire brigade, police and ambulance arrived on the scene, they saw the bus, which was travelling without passengers, lying in the ditch, with the small VW with Hungarian plates almost wedged into the large vehicle.
The Hungarian passengers were motionless, only the driver of the bus gave clear signs of life. Three Hungarians were in the VW: the young driver, Dániel, and his two passengers, Ramóna and Niki. All three were working as seasonal workers in a hotel in Zell am See.
In response to questions from Blikk, the Salzburg police said that the cause of the accident was being investigated by forensic experts. According to preliminary information, the driver of the car lost control of the car and collided with the bus coming from the opposite direction. The final outcome will be known after the accident report is completed.
Apparently, the bus driver saw the VW drifting on the road in front of him, tried to swerve out of the way of the Hungarian car, but was too late to correct the situation and the two cars collided.
The 51-year-old driver of the car was taken to hospital with serious injuries. Three ambulance helicopters arrived at the scene, but they were unable to help the two Hungarian women, who died in the wreckage. The 25-year-old driver, Dániel, was cut out of the wreckage by firefighters and although he was taken to hospital, he too died shortly afterwards.
According to one of the young man’s best friends, Dániel was a skilled driver and his car had winter tires. He believes that the tragedy may have been caused by the road freezing at night and the snow falling on it, making it impossible to see that it was icy. Locals consider this stretch of road to be particularly dangerous and treacherous.
In winter, it is regularly closed because of avalanche danger or simply because it becomes impassable, it is so slippery. It was only reopened to traffic a few weeks ago this year as it was closed in early February.
Watch here the video of the accident scene.
As we wrote last week, the helicopter crashed into the ploughland near the M1 motorway, Hungary’s main highway leading to Austria. Read details HERE.
VIDEO: Three Hungarians die in horrific accident in Austria
A Volkswagen Beetle collided with a bus yesterday morning in Austria. The driver was a 25-year-old Hungarian man.
According to local newspapers, the car carried two passengers, two Hungarian women. Both died on the spot unfortunately, 444.hu wrote. An ambulance helicopter transported the Hungarian man to hospital. But the doctors could not save his life either.
The circumstances of the accident are not yet clear. Currently, authorities believe that the driver lost control over the car on the snowy road and collided with the bus not carrying passengers.
The bus driver’s struggle to evade the collision was in vain. He even almost slid into a ditch. The driver was injured and is being treated in a local hospital. His alcohol test gave a negative result.
Here is a video:
Read alsoPHOTOS: Helicopter crashed near Hungary’s main motorway leading to Austria
PHOTOS: Helicopter crashed near Hungary’s main motorway leading to Austria
Thankfully, the helicopter did not hit the motorway, so the traffic is undisturbed. Furthermore, nobody was injured. Below, you may read what happened.
According to blikk.hu, the helicopter crashed into the ploughland near the M1 motorway, Hungary’s main highway leading to Austria. The chopper took off in Budaörs, a small airport in Budapest. However, shortly after it left the ground, it became powerless and crashed near the motorway, close to Páty, a small village near Budapest.
Based on the reports, the pilot tried to let the helicopter lower in the air, but finally, it hit the ground. Two people sat in the aircraft, but nobody was injured. They did not even need help to leave it after the crash. Below, you may check out some photos:
Austria closed the road to people commuting from Hungary
The municipality of Somfalva/Schattendorf has decided to make commuting on the road to Ágfalva/Agendorf virtually impossible from 1 March. Mayor Thomas Hoffmann announced that a pedestrian zone will be created along the Somfalva cemetery, which is located in the immediate vicinity of the border crossing.
For the time being, the road is closed due to reconstruction work, reports volksgruppen.orf.at. By creating a pedestrian zone, the municipality wants to put an end to the traffic passing through the village. According to Mayor Thomas Hoffmann’s plans, once the zone is in place, only residents of Ágfalva and Somfalva will be able to use the road.
The issue of the border crossing, which is important for commuters from the Sopron area to Austria, has long been of concern to the people of Somfalva, as well as to the Austrian Ministry of the Interior, the news portal writes. Thomas Hoffmann has been asking the Interior Ministry for weeks to close the border crossing and to allow only residents of neighbouring villages to cross the border with their vehicles.
The complete road closure will now last for 12 weeks. After that, a so-called “sinking pile” will be placed in the road, which can only be crossed with a permit. Residents of Somfalva/Schattendorf and Ágfalva/Agendorf can apply for a permit at the Somfalva village hall. It costs EUR 160 for two years and can be purchased in the form of a voucher in village shops.
Read alsoHungary’s public transport system fundamentally changes: new travelcards introduced
Australian Hungarian Cultural Convention opens!
The Australian Hungarian Cultural Convention opened on Australia’s Gold Coast on Thursday, with Hungarian artists and government representatives in attendance.
Speaking to MTI by phone, Árpád János Potápi, the state secretary in charge of policies for Hungarian communities abroad, said he told the opening gala event that all diaspora Hungarians were ambassadors for Hungarian culture in one way or another.
The convention is organised every three years, Potápi said, noting that this year’s event is the 17th. Anticipation for the four-day convention has been high, the state secretary said, noting that the 2020 instalment had to be cancelled due to the pandemic. This year’s event has been organised by the Australian Hungarian Federation and the Cultural Council of Hungarians in Queensland.
Thursday’s opening gala concert featured performances from opera singers Krisztina Szeredy and Győző Leblanc as well as rock star Attila Pataky. The event was also addressed by Zsolt Csenger-Zalán, Hungary’s ambassador to Australia. Over the next three days, convention-goers will get to take dance lessons, attend shows and art exhibitions and get acquainted with Hungarian gastronomy, Potápi said.
Read alsoPlan ahead: 8 cheap spring flights from Budapest!
Hungarian postperson gets dream salary in Austria – would you do this too?
In Austria, Mercedes V. Nemes has a golden life compared to Hungarian postpeople. She currently lives in Tyrol and has no plans to return home. She shared on TikTok how much a postperson earns in Austria today.
The net basic salary of a Hungarian woman working as a postperson in Austria is EUR 1300, according to an article of Pénzcentrum. That is a bit more than HUF 500.000. The young woman, who currently lives in Tyrol and serves two and a half villages, spoke in a TikTok video about how much she earns.
Compared to wages in Austria, EUR 1,300 may not seem like much, rtl.hu writes. However, Hungarian postal workers earn much less, while Hungarian prices are not much lower than those in the neighbour country.
@mercedesvnemes ♬ A moist healing song – Nez Tunes
In addition, the Austrian Post Office (Österreichische Post) gives a food bonus on top of the EUR 1,300 basic salary, a bonus for every item delivered, a reward point system for various products such as clothing, plus overtime pay and a bonus for working on public holidays. In Austria, workers are also entitled to 13th and 14th month’s pay, adds Pénzcentrum.
In Austria, EUR 1300 is one of the lower salaries, with the average salary in the neighbouring country being about double that. However, in Hungary, HUF 500,000 counts as a great salary, well above the average.
Read also510 EUR/month – would you work for that in Hungary as a university teacher?
Austrian Defence Minister Klaudia Tanner visits Hungary
Hungary and Austria are “good neighbours” and maintain strong cooperation in defence and other areas, Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said on Monday, after talks with his Austrian counterpart in Budapest.
Szalay-Bobrovniczky and Klaudia Tanner agreed that the stability of the Western Balkans was a proirity.
Hungary has troops serving in KFOR, NATO’s Kosovo mission, as well as in the EUFOR mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Szalay-Bobrovniczky noted.
The ministers also discussed the war in Ukraine. Hungary and Austria are in agreement about not sending weapons to Ukraine, he said. Hungary wants to avoid escalating the situation there, Szalay-Bobrovniczky said. At the same time, both countries are aiding refugees fleeing the war, he said.
Meanwhile, the Hungarian Armed Forces are being “rejuvenated”, the minister told his counterpart.
Young officers experienced in NATO missions who speak foreign languages are “being given important positions, while older officers are offered a dignified and fair way out of the military,” he said.
Tanner praised defence cooperation between the two countries, noting that their forces were cooperating in 7 foreign missions.
Monday’s talks focused on European security and the latest developments in Ukraine. She pointed to the danger of the war spreading to Europe, including “non-traditional threats” such as growing illegal migration.
European countries will have to cooperate closely to solve “the problem of migration” together, she said.
Strengthening the Western Balkans was a key solution to migration, she said. The EU integration of the region is also “inevitable”, she said.
Stability in the Western Balkans and a strengthened European Union are key to a joint defence against illegal migration, she said, thanking Hungary for its role in maintaining the region’s security.
Tanner said they had discussed EU-NATO cooperation, and agreed that the EU should be “more decisive” in voicing its views, and that the NATO’s impending enlargement warrants close cooperation.
Austria and Hungary need a “credible and robust” defence and security policy to avoid opening up the possibility of new threats and conflicts, she said.
- read also: Austria mentioned kicking out Hungary from the Schengen zone – Orbán wants a tripartite summit
Read alsoStrict border control may be reinstated on the Austrian-Hungarian border
This is why fuel in Hungary is the most expensive in the region
Since the price freeze was removed in Hungary, the cost of fuel has skyrocketed in the country. It has now become so expensive to fill up at local petrol stations that no other neighbouring country beats Hungary for that matter.
Portfolio.hu decided to examine what exactly led to this. In their detailed analysis, they came to the following conclusions.
Retail price comparison
The news site used the retail prices in Croatia and Austria as an example to compare prices. The trend in Hungarian fuel pricing shows that prices rose at roughly the same rate in all three countries until the Hungarian government decided to introduce a price freeze at the end of 2021. However, as soon as lorries were excluded from the price freeze, the price of gas oil started to rise steadily. Thus, the retail price of gas oil has now reached almost EUR 1.8, the equivalent of the Austrian price. In Croatia, the retail price of diesel is currently EUR 1.6.
In December 2022, the price freeze was lifted entirely, resulting in a spike in the price of petrol. In comparison, the price of petrol in Hungary has now reached the same level as Austrian petrol. Meanwhile, the retail price of petrol in Croatia is currently around EUR 1.4.
The taxes
Looking at the changes in oil prices over the last two years, it can be seen that the government has reduced the excise duty on fuels in two stages. This has made room for maneuvering on prices but still brought no benefit for market participants, only less financial loss. It is also clear that prices after tax deduction rose sharply following the lift of the price freeze in Hungary, compared to other countries.
In addition, it is important to underline that the differences are not only due to the fact that petrol stations have now started to make up for what they have lost due to the price freeze. The Hungarian market still needs a lot of time to recover from the shock of the price freeze.
It is also worth noting that among the taxes on fuel, the excise duty is not high compared to EU standards. While the minimum level of excise duty on petrol is EUR 0.359, the Hungarian state collects only EUR 0.31 at current exchange rates. The excise duty on gas oil is also lower in Hungary. The minimum level of excise duty on gas oil is EUR 0.33. In contrast, the state collects the equivalent of EUR 0.28 at current exchange rates. Moreover, tax reductions have also been made. The tax on petrol has been reduced from HUF 120 per litre to HUF 115 (EUR 0.29) and then to HUF 95 (EUR 0.24). At the same time, the tax on gas oil has been reduced from HUF 110.35 (EUR 0.28) to HUF 105.35 (EUR 0.27) and then to HUF 85.35 (EUR 0.22).
Read alsoSignificant price hikes expected at Lake Balaton this summer